Lenox Lounge To Reopen 2 Blocks From Original Harlem Location

Lenox Loungeshuttered its doors at the end of 2012, due to the rising cost of real estate as a result of the gentrification of Harlem some allege. After news that the famed jazz nightclub and city hotspot would reopen last summer, it appears the institution will make its return this year just two blocks from its original location.

Lenox Lounge’s owner, Alvin Reed, gave the New York Daily News an exclusive first look at the new space and promises that all of the charm and details from the old place will remain intact. Moving from 288 Lenox Ave. to 333 Lenox Ave., patrons won’t have to go too far off the path to find Reed’s joint. The Daily News has more.

Alvin Reed says he will re-open the Lenox Lounge late this summer at its new home, two blocks north of its old home.

“We’re going to be the same as we was: an original Harlem bar,” said Reed, who gave the Daily News an exclusive look at a sketch of the new club’s exterior.

Renderings of the new interior are not finished, but Reed and his architect said they were aiming to keep it as close to the original as they could.

In tow with is new business partner Dean Schomburg, Reed and his team say they will begin working on the new Lenox Lounge space this April and hope to complete construction four to six months later according to Victor Body-Lawson, of Body Lawson Associates.

Restaurateur Richard Notar, who took over the space that the old Lenox Lounge once occupied, still plans to go forward with his Notar Jazz Club concept. The gentleman aren’t fast pals it appears, but Reed told the Daily News he’s not concerned about Notar’s space.

Reed is also embroiled in a $50 million dollar lawsuit with his former landlord Ricky Edmonds. Reed claims that Edmonds forced him out the space once he doubled the rent to $20,000 per month and claims he restored the interior of the club with his own funds.

The new Lenox Lounge space comes a much cheaper rate, with rent at $8,000 per month says Reed.